Filing cabinet guide-separator



Jan.3o,1'94s. l. R. CORNISH y l2,:f, ss,349

FILING CABINET GUIDE- SEPARATOR yFiled Dec. 18, 1943 Patented Jan. 30, 1945 Irving R, (m'nislfl,`- Elmhurst, Ill., assigner of one?. thrdto George NoblePaxton and' olle-third to Ill.

John Warren Paxton, both ot'nloomington,A

l Applicationneeembcr 1s, 194s, serial No. 514,789 l 1 claim.' (ol. 12o-16) This inventionrelates to guide-separators or containers of vertical filing Vcabinets and has fory its main objects. the provi-sion of an improved container and guide-separaftoi-,` construction whereby a plurality ot guide-fo1lowers are` held in easily-shiftable but .irremovablevertical posi.- tions; to provide an improvedconstructon of containervand guide-separator particularly suitable for the type of filing cabinetl known as side ling; to provide an improved arrangepletely enclosed. withinvthef-casing; 8. but when swung, into its. open position, as, shown in the lower portion of Fig; 1;, are exposed for examination and removal ,and replacement horizon.-

ment of this kind particularly adapted for side filing cabinets wherein the container comprises a pair of right angle side members and ends and is mounted to revolve on a horizontal axis between its open and closed positions, whereby in its closed position one side becomes the support ing bottom, and in its open position the other side becomes the supporting bottom; and to provide an improved construction of this kind which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive to manufacture and highly eiective in use.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of such a two-container cabinet, one of the containers being shown in its open position empty so as to more clearly illustrate the mounting of the guide-separator of the preferred type. k

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the guideseparator and a fragmentary corner portion of the container showing the mounting of the preferred form of guide-separator.

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary opposite views of the upper outer corner of the guideseparator showing thearrangement of the index'es.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 5`5 of Fig. 3 showing the arrangement whereby the index is held in place.

Fig. 6 illustrates the arrangement of the index tabs. I

`Fig. '7 is a view similarto Fig. 2 showing a modified arrangement for mounting the gindeseparator in the container.

The side filing" cabinet, for which this improved guide-separator is particularly designed for'use, comprises a container 'l mounted in a casing 8 on horizontal pivots (not shown) so that the container is swingable between a closed position, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1, and

an open position, as shownin the lower part of said figure. The container 'l comprises a pair of members 9 and I0 arranged at right angles and a pair of end members II. The pivots are so formed and positioned that when a container is swung into its closed position, as shown in the upper portion of Fig. 1, the contents are comtally sidewise ratherv than vertically. In the closed position ofthe; container, meinem-ber 5 serves as a better-nV forI supportngthe Contents 0f the container, Whereas.. in .irtsopen position. the member I0 becomes a bottom upon which the contents of the container rest.

This improved typel of guide-separator I2,

herein shown, comprises a piece of heavy fiber board or other suitable material and is formed with a shouldered tongue or extension I3 which has sliding, interlocking engagement with a.

groove I4 formed in the container 1. This tongue and groove arrangement retains the guide in a vertical, transversely held position but permits its ready shifting longitudinally of the container l. Thesi'ze and positioning of the guideseparator is such that the upper outer corner extends beyond the end of the contents, repre- Y sented by the line I5 of Fig. 2, thus exposing to observation the usual indexes I6 required for liling cabinets. Moreover, the forward edge is cut away on a diagonal as shown. This avoids the possibility of the advancing corner of the guide, when the container is Ibeing swung'open, from catching on the casing. Also, it allows the files between the guide-separators to be grasped for removal without the danger of the separators being likewise grasped and accidentally withdrawn.

Two forms of the retaining tongue or extension I3 and groove I4 are shown. The preferred form is that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In that arrangement, the tongue is in the form of an integral extension on the lower inner corner of the guide-separator providing shoulders Il and I8 rearwardly and below the edges of the guideseparator. The corresponding corner formed v-by the juncture of the members 9 and I0 of the container'l is recessed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 21, so as to provide a shouldered channel or groove to receive the tongue or extension I3. The shoulders Il and I8 interlock with the corresponding 'shoulders of thegroove I4 so as to secure the guide-separator in its vertical position against accidental removal transversely from the'container 'l when any of the contents are being re' moved, while at the same time' permitting it to be shifted longitudinally of the container to ace commodate the addition or removal of contents.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, .the shouldered tongue or extension I3 is in the form of a T integral with the rear edge of the guide-separator I2 intermediate its top and bottom edges. The member 9 of the container 'I is provided with a slot I4' which accommodates the neck part of the retaining tongue I3 and the edges of which provide shoulders I1' and I8 coacting with the transverse part of the T for retaining the guideseparator in position. This form possesses the same advantages as does the preferred form shown in Fig. 2.

With either form of the tongue or extension I3, the guide-separator I2 is placed in or removed from its operable position in the container I by turning the guide-separator to a slight angle from the horizontal suicient to permit the tongue or extension to be set in or removed from the slot or groove I4 or I4'.

Indexes, of course, are required on the guideseparators. To that endl the corner of the guideseparator has attached a transparent tab holder I9 so as to provide pockets, between it and the guide-separator, into which may be slipped the doubled-over index tabs I6. With this arrangement it is possible to print two identical indexes on a single strip side by side in the same positions, as shown in Fig. 6, which may then be folded along a center line and inserted in the holders I9. The index is thus exposed to vision from either end of thevcontainer 1. This is a convenience not possible in the top iiling type of cabinet.

The operation of the guide-separator, it is believed, will be perfectly obvious from the foregoing description. i

Other variations and modifications in the details of the structure and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to Within the spirit and coverage of the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination of a vertical-nie container and a guide-separator, said container having each of two right-angularly disposed walls thereof recessed along the faces adjacent the juncture of said walls so as to provide a corner channel with the recessed surfaces located inwardly of the respective right-angle faces of said walls and terminating at right-angle shoulders in the respective walls, said guide-separator having one cor ner formed with a right-angle extension conforming to the shape of and tting in the corner channel of said container whereby said guideseparator is slidably supported in a vertical position insaid container with said extension irremovable from'said corner channel so long as said follower is retained approximately normal to IRVING R. CORNISH. 

